Food at Universal Resort

[rreading]

We’re going to be at universal for two days during our next Disney trip. Staying at the Royal Pacific resort. Going to both parks.

Any suggestions as to a restaurant to look for or avoid?

Thanks!

 

[Figgy1]

In the parks TS, Potter and Thunder Falls terrace are all fine, you can walk to City Walk. NBS and Margaritaville are our go to.

 

[littleroo]

Mythos was great both in service and food! Highly recommend it. That and the Chocolate Emporium were our 2 favorite meals! Even is don't eat at the Chocolate Emporium you have to go to the walk up milkshake bar!! Cowfish was number 3 on our list. Great service, great sushi, and good burgers! Last on our list was Margaritaville! Our second, least favorite meal of the trip. We had terrible service and the food was cold. My daughters mac n cheese was ice cold! However, I know plenty of people who love this place! Every restaurant has a bad day.

 

[jeanericuser001]

For fans of harry potter, eating breakfast at the leaky cauldron is pretty decent. If you want a decent meal on the cheap though I recommend the green eggs and ham at Islands of adventure. The food is cheap but decent for breakfast particularly the who hash which is not only is fairly tasty but also leaves you with a nice collectible can afterwards if you want a unique souvenir. In terms of lunch places, I suggest checking out the comic strip cafe as there typically is a lot of options for quick meals there then you will find at other locations plus the waits are not as bad as other places. If you want even larger meals then I suggest Thunder Falls Terace which offers larger portions for larger prices though the barbecue is pretty decent. As for dinner, in my opinion nothing beat good old Finnegans. You will find some decent filling dishes there besides the typical food you would get everywhere else. The prices are also nothing too bad to sneeze at either. I do not reccomend the harry potter areas come dinner time though. They get way too loud and seating is limited.

 

[DISR]

We’re going to be at universal for two days during our next Disney trip. Staying at the Royal Pacific resort. Going to both parks.

Any suggestions as to a restaurant to look for or avoid?

Thanks!

I was there last month. Islands dining room is fine, but a little pricey as you would expect. Portions are not huge, so feel free to add an app or sides. It is really not a destination restaurant though. Did not try Jakes, but it looked like standard bar food. We did get a pizza from the pool bar. Again, it scratched the itch, but wasn't anything special. We like Cowfish and Toothsome was a must do for my daughter (I don't think it is anything special though). Do not plan on just popping into any CityWalk restaurant during prime dinner hours without a reservation, and book at least a couple of days in advance. Hard Rock restaurant was a pleasant surprise. Service was great and the food was better than expected. If you want Voodoo donuts, plan ahead...the lines can be very long, even for online orders. Definitely hit the Diagon Alley ice cream place and be adventurous....the earl gray and lavender flavor was really good. If you can handle ice cream for breakfast, consider going early. Lines are very long in the afternoon. All in all, I can't say I went home dreaming about any of my Universal meals except the ice cream and Cowfish sushi. Those I will look forward to on my next trip.

 

[lebeau]

If you're used to Disney, you will find Universal dining different in a lot of ways. The most obvious being that you don't typically need reservations for table service meals. While not necessary, reservations are recommended at Mythos but can usually be snagged same-day. No need to plan your meals months in advance.

Citywalk dining is generally superior to dining in the parks. Most of the quick service meals in the parks are about what you expect from theme parks. I have heard good things about Thunder Falls Terrace or the updated Monsters Cafe menu, but it sounds like even these are very hit-and-miss. Table service is better and not that much more expensive. Mythos is a stand-out but I have also heard good things about Confisco Grill. Some people swear by Finnegans but I think that's mostly for the pub atmosphere.

If you're a Potter fan, you should at least check out the Leaky Cauldron or Three Broomsticks. We have never had a meal there, but we grab drinks sometimes. I hear the food is okay but not the main draw. Even the worst Universal quick service meal I ever had was fine. My oldest loves the food court in Springfield and while it's definitely overpriced fast food, there are some good options. In a pinch, we ate at the Burger Digs and the toppings bar made the burgers passable.

The fancy tots at Green Eggs and Ham are pretty popular if you're looking for a quick bite. The jacket potatoes outside of Diagon Alley are relatively cheap and filling.

Our favorite place to eat is Cowfish in Citywalk. We usually hit it up multiple times per trip. Toothsome is also worth a look although for us it doesn't have the same repeatability. Voodoo Donuts are fun although Lard Lad also offers good donuts. We also like Sal's at Portofino Bay but it doesn't sound like you're staying at the resorts so I'll limit my recommendations to the parks and CityWalk.